Species Spotlight

Comb jellies are found globally, even in arctic oceans, although 75% live in warmer waters. It is a predator in coastal and estuarine waters that dramatically reduces zooplankton communities, making it an invasive species in some places, causing trophic cascades. Mnemiopsis leidyi was unintentionally introduced to the Black Sea in the 1980s and had devastating effects; within 10 years, it had destroyed the fishing industry, outcompeting native planktonic fishes and disrupting the food chain.